Cover for loose-leaf binders



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Jan. 20, 1925.v

-'RussELL COVER FOR LOOSE LEAF BINDERS 2 swam-Sham 2 all:

Filed June 30, 1921 Patented Jan. 20, 1925.

STTES raast@ r ac.

CLARENCE D. TRUSSELL, F POUGHKEEPSIE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO TRUSSELL MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW Yoan.

COVER, FOB-LOOSE-LEAF IBINDERS.

Application led June 30, 1921. Serial No. 481,518.

. To all whom lit may concern:

Be it known that I, CLARENCE D. TRUS- sELL, a citizen ofthe United States of America, residing in Poughkeepsie, in the county of Dutchess and lState of New `York, have invented certainrnew and useful Improvements in Covers for Loose-Leaf Binders, of which the following is a specification.

In my Patent No. 959,182, dated May 24, 1910, is set forth a construction of cover for a temporary binder or loose-leaf book comprising a double binding strip extending along the book back, ywith the stitfening boards of the cover sidesv cemented between the edge portions of the two'layers of s'uch binding strip. The metal back plate or binding plate, by which the loose-leaf binding device is attached to the cover, is confinedbetween such double' binding strip and the book back, the latter being a layer of outer covering fabric (leather or textile material) comprising the exterior of the sides and back of the cover.

In my Patent N o. 1,369,309, dated Febru- 95 ary 22, 1,921, is set forth a construction of book cover for such loose-leaf binder comprising a binding strip of suitable fabric united by parallel rows of stitching to the side portions of the back of the book cover, the space between the rows of stitching forming a pocket for receivin the binding plate. This construction was c esigned more particularly for book covers formed of an integral piece or sheet of leather or other suitable fabric.

The present invention is designed to improve the construction of covers having stiff sides and a flexible back. The thick stiflening boards for the sides are united by a. back portion which is flexible except for the stiffness incident to the confining within it of the usual curved binding plate for attaching the temporary binding device. A double binding strip is employed, somewhat as in my Patent No. 959,182, but the two layers thereof are unitedby parallel rows of stitching adjacent to the outer edges of the binding plate and within the inner edges of the siitfening boards. The flaps or layers of the double binding strip receive the stiftening boards between them, joining the latter substantially in the plane of their exterior faces, so as to leave the thicknessof the boards projecting inside of the back. In-

stead of cementing the bindingplate fast to the back of the cover, a fabric pad is introduced between them, being cemented to the back. Thus is formed between such pad and the outer layer of the double binding strip a pocket for receiving the curved binding plate; the latter is preferably uncementcd to the fabrics ou either side. The binding plate emerges from this'pocket near the opposite ends of the book back, and is provided with any usual means for clamping or otherwise uniting it to the back plate of the binding mechanism. Y

The general nature of the invention being thus indicated, I will proceed to describe it more in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a ring binder the cover of which is constructed according to the present invention, lying open;

Fig. 2 is a transverse section thereof, the thicknesses of the several layers being somewhat exaggerated;

Fig. 3. is a fragmentary transverse section showingl the book closed;

Fig. 4 is a face view, and

Fig. 5 a transverse section of the double binding strip;-

Fig. 6 is a partially dissected view showing the construction of the cover before applying the metal parts; 4 .c

4ig. 6 Vshows the lower portion of Fig. 6, with the addition of the metal binding plate;

Fig. 7 's a view similar to Fig. 6, showing a different construction.

Fig. 8 is a transverse section answering to Fig. 5 and showing a modification of the binding strip.

In Figs. 1 and 3, A shows the cover as a whole, and B indicates the binding mechanism as a whole. A The latter is shown as of the well-known ring binder type comprising two or more half-rings or hooks ofwire which open to receive the punched sheets or leaves, and close together to confine them, the half-rings being mounted on plates or other suitable metallic foundations, the whole metallic structure being fastened to the back portion of the cover. Suitable examples of suchl ring binders are shown in my Patent No. 1,147,157, June 1, 1915, or in No. 1,194,684, August 15, 1916; it being understood, however, that any known construction of binders of this generai type may engagement with somepart of the metal structure, usually a curved back plate thereof; the usual connection consists ofears. or

prongs turned up from the ends of the bind-- ing late, entering `notches in the ends of they ack plate of the binding devicesand clinched down tightly upon the ends of said late. ay be employed, so far as concerns `the present invention.

The coverJA comprises stiff sides a a, and

a more or less flexible back b. The sides'are stifenedby means of vstilening boards c c, an outer'cover fabric d being glued to the outer faces of 'these boards, its portion between the boards constituting the outer member of the back b. The edges of the I- boards are covered by folding the outer fabric d around them at top, bottom, andthe outer sides. The inner faces of the boards are covered and concealed by pasting. a

lining fabric e of paper or woven material over them. So far as described, the conf struction is that usually adopted.

p According to the present' invention there is incorporated in the back portion of the cover a double binding strip C shown separately in Figs. 4 and 5. This is made of two layers of suitably strong wovenfabric cut to equal or similar width, and united longitudinal] by parallel rows of stitching f f, g g. q he rows f are spaced apart a distance about `equa to the width of the metal binding plate to be used. This plate is shown at D in Fig. 2. The rows of stitchu ing g g are extended somewhat close to the rows f f.y The distance between the rows g y is slightly less (measured around the curve of the back) than the destined spacing of the inner edges of the boards c c. Outside of the rows of stitching the two layers of the binding strip form flaps hh', between which each of the boards c is to be received. The flaps h are turned up as shown in Fig. 4, and the approaching faces of the flaps covered with glue; the boards are then inserted between them at the proper spacing,- lying substantially flat on the `lower flaps h; the upper-flaps are carried up against thefinner edges of the boards, as shown at' ein -.F ig 2, and laid down flat on the upper faces of the boards. There results a sort of flexible hinge which isk nearly aligned with the outer faces of theboards. A strip 0f fabric 0f substantially the width .l and However, other connecting meansf well known 7 manner.

length of the book back, which I will call the pad, and which is shown at j, is applied against the inner face of the outer. covering'lfqabric d." A convenient way is to attach t temporarily tothe outer face of v the binding strip C by'tips or points of adhesiv such as can easily be broken away afterward. The outer covering fabric d having been cutto the proper size, and its inner surface coated with glue, the binding v"I5 strip and attached cover membersare' laid thereon and the respective parts pressed together. This cements the pad 'to the back portion of the cover fabric, an cements the boards and flaps la. to the side portions of 89v I such fabric,l leaving the edges of the latter projecting, asshown in Figs.^6 or 7. Theseilr projecting edge portions are then turned in around the outer edges of the boards in the The cover is finished 3,5 by applying the linings e e on the sides as usual. s

The described construction 'aHords a pocket between the outer layer of the binding strip C and the inner surfa of' the 90 d J, of a width approximating the space tween the rows of stitching f f. Into this; pocket the metal binding plate D is to be introduced. The temporary tips of adhesive i easilybreak away while introducing this plate. The opposite ends of the plate emerge from this pocket for attachment to the back plate of the binding mechanism. Two constructions are within the invention.

1. "The construction shown in Fig. v6 is 100 characterized b extending the binding strip C for substantially the `wlliole length of the book back and cutting slots lo preferably through both layers of the binding strip, through which slots the metal plate is introduced, the pocket for this plate being the portion between the two slots. The endv of the metal plate D projects throu h the slot k as shown in Fig. 6. Preferab y the outl er layer of the binding strip is carried be-` 1w yond the boards, as shown at the up er part of Fig. 6, forming a reinforcing layer m which becomes glued to the coveringl layer d, and, in the turning in of that layer, serves to stiifen the end portions of the book back b and thereby render the book back more durable at its top and bottom ends. 'With this construction the pad j may very well'be. of a length equal to the length of the boards c. v l

2. Referring to the construction shown in Fig. 7, the binding strip C has a length only equal to that of the pocket for confining the metal binding plate (that is, a length equal to that between the slotsJs k in Fig. 6). To 125 provide the stiffening for. the book back, which in Fig. 6 is afforded by the extended portions m, the pad j is extended beyond the boards c at both top and bottom, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 7 ;`sothat 130 when the outer marginal portions of the -covering fabric al are turned in upon the hinge joint between the sides and back than that shown in F ig. 6, but is not so strong. For some constructions and sizes of loose lea-fbooksl the one oonstruction'may'be preferred, and for others the other construction may be preferable. v

The construction-provided by this invention has certain important advantages as' compared with those heretofore used for' loose-leafbooks having covers. The iiexible hinge connection between the back and sides comprises three layers of.,fabric,'wh1ch affords a much stronger hinge 'connection than heretofore. This connection, -while increased in strength, lis not sti'ened or diminished in suppleness. lts stren h is such that 1f the outer covering layer which usually affords the only connection between the back and sides) were cut -away or worn through, the

hinge joint would still be amply strong, and the binder could continue in use for a long time. When thev book is closed (as shown in Fig. 3) the portion 1l 'of fabric covering the inner edges of the boards is folded down against the stitched portion, so that three layers ofl fabric intervene between the inner edgeof the board and the edge of the plate D. This brings the outer edges of the plate D into line with the edges of the boa-rd, drawing the outer fabric of the book back ,snug against the plate D and giving a symmetrically rounded back with a firm, rigid, and exceedingly strong binding connection. ln this respect the cover is greatly superior to those heretofore used, where the edges of the binding plate D are between the sides of the covers when the latter are closed,

' which leaves the covering fabric loose on theback and affords a less secure hinge connection. Another advantage is that the pad j adds to the life of the book back, as the covering fabric will wear better, because of having a soft subst-ance next to it, than if stretched, as heretofore, directly over the hard steel plate. The presence of the pad also servesto avoid the gluing of the book back to the binding strip, and thus leaves between them the pocket for inserting the binding plate. In most previous construetions of loose leaf books, the covering fabric has been glued fast to the binding plate, but as it is impossible to satisfactorily lue cloth or other covering fabric to meta, `this attachment soon gives way and permits the back to wrinkle, a defect which is avoided by the present construction. Another desirable feature is that since the hinge joint is carried-.close to the outer faces of the boards, and the latter are not beveled or chamfered off on their edges approaching the book back, the'entire thickness of the sides of the book is availed of to lift the sheets or leaves to be bound to a higher position than heretofore upon the curved top plate usually employed as t-he upper member of the binding struct-ure from which the hooks project; so that the sheets to be bound lie flat when the book is open, instead of having a hump by reason of their bound edges being tipped upwardly where they are lifted onto this ,top plate.

l The invention lends itself readily to facilitating quantity roduction. For each width of ring binder metals) the binding strip C may be made up in great lengths by stitching the two layers together with the four parallel rows of stitching. Then for each lot of covers of a given size, these prepared strips are cut across into lengths corresponding with the length of the book cover to be made. Inassembling the boards and strips, the lines ofstitching serve as' a guide for determining the proper spacing apart of the boards.

While the construction thus described in detail is preferred, yet it is to be understood' that the invention is not limited to all the details set forth, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims. For example, the construction is applicable to what are known as half-bound or quarter-bound books, as well as full-bound books. It is only in full-bound books that the outer cover fabric need cover the entire outer 'faces of the boards and be turned in all around their outer margins. This outer cover fabric maybe any sultable woven fabric or any other material of sufficient flexibility or durability, such as leather or its substitutes. It is preferable to employ a double binding strip C, yet the invention may be partly availed of With a single binding strip or a binding strip which is only partly double. These modifications are shown 1n Fig. 8, Where C is a single binding strip of suitably heavy materlal, and g g are auxiliary strips of like material stitched thereto at g f/ and glued to the inner edges and surfaces of the boards, their function being mainly to give an attractive finish, although serving partly the function of the aps h of the binding strip C, according to the preferred construction.

One important advantage of the present invention is that it provides for the first time a loose-leaf book which admits of being lettered on the back withbut injury; that is to say, the customer buying this book from a stationer can take it to .a book-binder or printer and have any desired titleor lettering ap lied on the back without any injury to the ook. This is due to the fact that the book back is drawn tightly over the binding plate, since the edges of the cover boards y tire width of the book, so that as the covers are closed, the covering fabric is stretched snu ly over the back of the book, and the bin ing plate affords a firm foundation for receiving the pressure due to printing; whereas with ordinary constructions of loose-leaf binders, where the back is held 5. A cover according to claim 1, the binding strip being double, and its layers united by parallel rows of stitching.

6. A cover according to claim 5, the lay- 7. A cover according to claim 4, the outer flaps cemented against the outer surfaces of the boards and the inner iaps cemented loosely, it is necessary to open out the cover, against the inner edges and inner surfaces 75 placing the rings downward, and improvise a base to support the metals, in order to sustain .the pressure incident to printlng or stamping the lettering, which comes entirely against the ring metals and not against the back plate, and which, unless great precautions are taken, is almost certain to injure the mechanism.

The use of the lining pad j greatlyeconomizes in the cost of producing the cover, since it enables the outer covering fabric to be ex editiously coated by running it throng a gluing machine, thereby applying a uniform 'coating of adhesive to its entire surface, after which'the portion of this surface destined to become the back of the book is covered by applying the lining pad thereto.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cover for a loose-leaf book comprising side boards, an outer cover fabric, a bindintervening back portion of the binding strip, and located with its edges beneath the edges of the boards when the book is closed.

2. A cover for a loose-leaf book comprising side boards, an outer cover fabrlc, a binding strip united to the boards, a looseleaf binding device, and a binding plate on which said device is mounted, attached to the intervening back 'portion of the binding strip, the hinge flexure being closer to the outer edges 'than the inner edges of \the boards so that when the book is closed the edges of the boards fold in over the edges of the binding plate.

3. A cover for a loose-leaf book comprising side boards, an outer cover fabric, a binding strip united to the boards, and a binding plate confined in the space between the intervening back portion of the binding strip and said cover fabric, the hinge iiexure of the cover fabric and binding strip being so close to the outer edges of the boards that when the book is closed the boards fold in over the edges of the binding plate, so that the thickness of the boards lies at least partly between the outer edges of the binding plate.

4. A cover according to claim 2, the binding strip being double, forming two marginal iaps at each side, between which the boards are cemented.

of the boards.

8.' A cover for a loose-leaf book, com- 9. A cover according to claim l, with a pad lining the back of the cover fabric, a pocket for the binding plate being foi-ined between such pad and the binding strip.

10. A cover for a loose-leaf book comprising side boards, an outer cover fabric, a double binding strip the layers of which are united by parallel rows of stitching, their iiaps beyond the stitching receiving the Y boards between them and cemented thereto, and engaging the boards adjacent the outer faces thereof, and the binding plate of a loose-leaf binding device applied between the bindincr strip and cover fabric, whereby, when the book is closed, three-layers of the binding strip fabric are interposed between the edges ofsaid binding plate and the inner edges of the boards.

11. In a loose-leaf book, a cover comprisl2. A cover for aloose-leaf book comprisin" side boards, an outer cover fabric and a lbinding strip, forming sides and an intervening back, having the ends of the book back reinforced by a layer of fabric folded in with the cover fabric.

18. A cover according to claim 1, in which the binding strip is extended at its ends beyond the ends of the boards, and folded over to strengthen and reinforce the book back at its ends.

14. A cover according to claim 11, the

pad extended at its ends'beyond the boards, and such extended portion folded in to reinforce the ends of the book back.

15. A cover comprising boards, a binding 1.30

plate and a double binding strip extending from end to end of the boards, and formed with slots through which the ends of the binding plate project.

16. A cover for loose-leaf books comprising side boards, and an intervening liexible back, combined with a binding plate confined against said back, with its edges underlying the edges of said boards when the book is closed.

17. A cover for loose-leaf books comprising side boards, a cover fabric, and a binding strip attached to the outer sides of the boards, with a binding plate secured outside of the binding strip, the binding strip forming a flexible hinge connection with the boards near their outer faces, so that the boards fold in above the edges of said plate when the book is closed.

18. The method of forming a cover consisting in stitching together two layers of binding fabric to form a double binding strip by rows of parallel stitching, cutting such strip into suitable lengths, applying cement to the flaps thereof beyond such stitching, laying stii'ening boards between said Haps upon the lower flap and closely adjacent the outer rows of stitching, extending the inner flap up against the inner edges of said boards and out over the inner faces thereof, applying these assembled elements upon a layer of outer cover fabric coated with cementinfr material, pressing the parts together, and czlosing the projecting edges of the cover fabric over the outer edges of the boards.

19. A method according to claim 18, with the addition of a pad applied to the back portion of the cover between the binding strip and outer cover fabric, and cemented to the latter, whereby to form an uncemented pocket between such pad and the binding strip for receiving a bindingvplate.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name.

CLARENCE D. TRUSSELL. 

